Andrew Carnegie Medals Press Kit

Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction

The Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, were established in 2012, and recognize the best of the best in fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers 'published in the U.S. the previous year. The awards serve as a guide to help adults select quality reading material. They are the first single-book awards for adult books given by the American Library Association and reflect the expert judgment and insight of library professionals who work closely with adult readers. Nancy Pearl, librarian, literature expert, NPR commentator, and best-selling author of “Booklust” serves as chair of the awards’ selection committee.

A shortlist of finalists is announced each spring from 50 titles drawn from the previous year’s Booklist Editors’ Choice and RUSA Notable Books lists. Along with a medal presentation at ALA’s annual conference in Las Vegas, on June 28, each winning author will receive $5,000 and the four finalists will each receive $1,500.

The awards are made possible by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York in recognition of Andrew Carnegie’s deep belief in the power of books and learning to change the world, and are co-sponsored by ALA’s Booklist publications and the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA).

And the 2014 winners are......

2014 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction

2014 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction

The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt. Published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

In the wake of his nefarious father's abandonment, Theo, a smart, 13-year-old Manhattanite, is extremely close to his vivacious mother—until an act of terrorism catapults him into a dizzying world bereft of gravity, certainty, or love. Tartt writes from Theo's point of view with fierce exactitude and magnetic emotion.

The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism, by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Published by Simon & Schuster

This masterful study examines the complex relationship between two presidents, Roosevelt and Taft, who played major roles in the Progressive movement of the early twentieth century. Acclaimed historian Goodwin offers a superb re-creation of a period when many politicians, journalists, and citizens of differing political affiliations viewed government as a force for public good.

On Paper: The Everything of Its Two-Thousand Year History, by Nicholas A. Basbanes. Published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.

Combining crisp technical explanations with vivid historical and contemporary profiles, Basbanes unfolds the two-thousand-year story of paper, revealing in the process that paper is nothing less than an embodiment of humanity.

Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital, by Sheri Fink. Published by Crown Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.

As the floodwaters rose after Hurricane Katrina, patients, staff, and families who sheltered in New Orleans' Memorial Hospital faced a crisis far worse than the storm itself. Fink's breathtaking account of the storm and what happened at Memorial offers a fascinating look at how people behave in times of crisis.

Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction 2014 Finalists

Americanah, by ChimamandaNgoziAdichie. Published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.

To the women in the hair-braiding salon, Ifemelu seems to have everything a Nigerian immigrant in America could desire, but the culture shock, hardships, and racism she's endured have left her feeling like she has "cement in her soul." Americanah is a courageous novel of independence, integrity, community, and love.

Claire of the Sea Light, by EdwidgeDanticat. Published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.

In interlocking stories moving back and forth in time, Danticat weaves a beautifully rendered portrait of longing in the small fishing town of Ville Rose in Haiti. The stories flow seamlessly one into another and are distinguished by Danticat's luminous prose.